


Over and Over and Over Again

by grenadinehart (CompletelyCreative)



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Astronomy, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-04 02:04:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6636700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CompletelyCreative/pseuds/grenadinehart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He doesn't say it back, when all he wants to do is say it over, and over, again, and again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Over and Over and Over Again

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks sooo much to my lovely betas! [bestlybeauty](bestlybeauty.tumblr.com) [rileytwn](rileytwn.tumblr.com)

In all of his 16 years on this planet, Farkle Minkus has prided himself in never getting anything wrong. Every question, every decision, every sentimentality he has ever made has been correct, and he knew it. He was Farkle Minkus, after all. 

And so, it felt statistically impossible that the first genuinely stupid thing he's ever done... was to. his. girlfriend. And not just any girlfriend, but Riley Matthews, the girl he had been in love with since the moment he saw her. And, might he add, over perhaps the stupidest thing E-V-E-R. 

He didn't say it back. 

He didn't. say. it. back. 

Now granted, it was in fact the first time it had actually been said under the relationship title, 'couple,' but still. After all of the times they have said it, and said it again, and then said it one more time just to be sure, the one time it really matters, he doesn't say it at all. 

There she had been, standing in the light and mist of the setting sun, everything his dreams were and more. She had stopped dead in her tracks on their walk around Central Park, and when Farkle turned to see why, she was just looking at him with a face of fairy tales and true love. It caught him off guard, and he lost whatever words he had had. They stood there, in the setting sunlight, and she just said it.

"I love you."

And it was said in almost a revelation, a 'wow' moment, and everything became alright in Farkle's world, just for a moment.

And all he could muster was, "you're beautiful." Because that's all that was running in his mind, and that's all he could think about, and that's all that mattered.

And then her face fell.

And then the rain started coming down.

And then the sun set.

And Farkle tripped on his shoelaces as he walked her home with nothing else to say, except for a 'goodbye' when he stood alone on her stoop.

Left alone with his thoughts and 3-foot deep puddles (no kidding, New York), he walked home with his hands in his pockets and hoodie pulled over his head. He didn't bother taking the subway, even though he was Uptown and it was starting to downpour. All that mattered on his walk was what a fucking idiot he was. Farkle Minkus, child prodigy and genius Farkle Minkus, was actually the stupidest 16-year old in New York City, maybe ever. He got lost multiple times on his walk home, turning left instead of right, continuing straight instead of turning around, extending his walk so long that by the time he got to his block, it was almost completely dark out. When he reached his apartment (building, really), he automatically went straight to his room, taking two-at-a-time going up the "secret" stairs from his room to the top floor, a proper star-gazer's tent. It was a room almost encased entirely in glass, with a skylight all along the ceiling and telescopes of all shapes, sizes, and purposes. Although Stuart claimed he built it for Jennifer, Farkle seemed to be the only one to ever go up, and he'd never shown anyone else the room either. He couldn't really seem to think why.

He stayed up in the star-gazer's 'tent' for quite some time, watching the world spin and the sky get darker. Eventually the sky cleared up from its earlier downpour, but Farkle had no desire to get up and gaze. He still wasn't over the events of earlier. How could it be possible, that of all the tests, the essays, the equations, formulas, spelling bees, speech classes, he couldn't do the simplest thing of them all? It was maybe the first thing that made no sense to him at all. Most of the time, it was like a non-stop waterfall that he could just barely stop from pouring out of his mouth. IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou, over and over and over again. And he always needed to say it. 

He needed to say it now. Over and over and over again.

Half an hour later, he was running down to his main hall to greet a visibly disheartened Riley. He bit his lip after he kissed her on the cheek, and wordlessly took her hand, leading her up his stairs to his bedroom. Once in, he looked around before finding his "secret" staircase (behind a bunch of shelves, how classic, Stuart) and almost running upstairs. Riley tugged him back, reluctant to go up, to even be there.

"Farkle, where are we going? I've never seen this before and I'm not really in the mood--" Farkle cupped her face in his hands and looked at her with wide eyes.

"You'll like it, I promise." 

As (almost) always, he was right. Even in her saddened state, Riley couldn't help but over her open mouth with her hand as she gasped. While New York City was not the best place for the night sky, the gray clouds had separated to reveal a dusting of twinkling stars and faraway planets. Surrounded by city lights far below them, reaching all the way to the horizon, it seemed as if the universe never stopped. It didn't of course, and Farkle knew that. He had been up in this room just 10 minutes before. But seeing Riley's face in the dim light, really made it all feel infinite.

"I've never taken anyone up here before," he murmured into the pregnant silence. Riley shook her head, confused and lost in the lights.

"Why not, Farkle? This... this is amazing. It's gorgeous." He was almost breathless looking at her, standing in the silver light, gazing up into infinity. But he wasn't going to let himself be wrong again. He was going to answer her question, and correctly. Why hasn't he brought anyone up here before? Why just her? He knew the answer. It spilled out out him like a waterfall.

"BecauseIloveyou." Spilled out of him. Riley dragged her eyes from the lights to look at him.

"Sorry?"

"Because..." Farkle cleared his throat, "you're the only person I've brought up here... because I love you." Riley shook her head and her gaze then dropped to the floor.

"Farkle..." she began.

"No, I do, I love you," he was picking up pace now. "I love you." He thought he heard her scoff.

"How?" When he didn't answer immediately, she spoke again. "I know you love me Farkle, but how? How... how much do you truly... love me? Or do you just think I'm... me? Is it just middle school again? I... I know we're only really just a couple, and what I said was totally out of line... but it was true. And I'm not mad at you, I just... thought different, you know?"

Farkle found himself taking a while to respond, not because he didn't have a 'quantity' for how much he loved Riley, but he couldn't seem to find one big enough to contain his love for her. He looked up into the only dark patch in the sky and suddenly grabbed Riley and pulled her to a long telescope. After spending a minute or two spinning around, he pulled away from the eyepiece and gestured for Riley to look through. When she complied, she simply grew more confused.

"Do you see it?"

"...I see a star, yeah." Surrounded by a sparse group of stars was a very small, dim yellow light in the center of the range of sight.

"That's how much I love you." Riley pulled back from the telescope and looked at Farkle incredulously.

"Farkle, I don't get it. This star... It's practically nothing. I don't understand."

"That's because it's a planet." Riley frowned.

"What? That-- That's too small to be a planet." 

"Well it is to you and me. 4 billion miles away, sometimes 2 billion, depending on the time of year. It's always been a planet to me, despite its size. And 4 billion miles... even I know that's a lot. Multiplied by two, even more."

"Pluto." Farkle smiled and took Riley's hand, rubbing her thumb with his, just how she's always loved.

"I love you to Pluto and back."

And then Riley smiled.

And then the stars shone.

And then they started dancing, lit by the silver light, swaying to their own music, tripping over each other's shoelaces.

Over and over and over again.

**Author's Note:**

> My [tumblr](grenadinehart.tumblr.com)


End file.
